Trevor Stephan Advances Quickly To Double-A

Righthander Trevor Stephan advanced quickly to Double-A Trenton in May, less than a year after being drafted as a third-round pick out of Arkansas in 2017. The 22-year-old could be closer than expected to the Bronx.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Stephan breezed through an assignment to short-season Staten Island last year, recording a 1.39 ERA and 43 strikeouts against six walks in 32.1 innings.

His second pro season was even more impressive. In seven starts at high Class A Tampa, Stephan went 3-1, 1.98 with 49 strikeouts and nine walks in 41 innings. He allowed just 23 hits before moving up to the Eastern League.

"His fastball is between 92-96 (mph) with a lot of deception,’’ minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell said. "He has a good breaking ball he throws to righthanders and lefthanders. He is a quality pitcher and pretty impressive. He has a chance to go pretty quickly.’’

The upper levels of the Yankees' system are light on major league-ready starters, outside of perhaps lefthander Justus Sheffield, who landed on the Triple-A disabled list in May with a shoulder problem. That will provide Stephan with a chance to move swiftly.

"He has a very heavy fastball that is hard to hit,’’ a talent evaluator said. "And he has mental toughness.’’

Stephan wasn’t the only success story for Tampa, which led the Florida State League in ERA into late May.

Righthander Michael King recorded a 1.79 ERA through seven starts before being promoted to Trenton. Righthander Nick Green, who the Yankees acquired from the Rangers in the 2016 Carlos Beltran deal, had a 2.36 ERA in eight starts. And before being promoted to Double-A, righthander Jonathan Loaisiga had a 1.35 ERA in four starts in which he struck out 26 in 20 innings and issued one walk.